Senate demands details on FG’s proposed $1.5b, 995million Euros loan

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

Federal Government’s proposed foreign loans for agricultural mechanization development hangs in the balance as the Senate Committee on Foreign and local debts demanded details of purposes the loans meant to serve.

At an interface with the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Debt Management Office over 995million Euros and $1.5billion foreign loans, on Tuesday, the Committee, ordered the Federal parastatals to furnish it with more details before approval could be given.

Also, the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), suspended approval of the N8.5billion 2021 budget proposal by FCT – Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Both the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohmmamed Sabo Nanono, and the Director-General of Debt Management Office, Patience Oniha, failed to give the Committee satisfactory answer on preparedness for the $1.5bn and 995m Euros loans proposed for mechanized farming and execution of critical infrastructure across the 36 states of the federation in preventing the third wave of COVID – 19 in the country.

Virtually all the members of the committee headed by Senator Clifford Ordia ( PDP Edo Central) condemned picked holes in the proposals.

The Minister of Agric had in his submission said since out of the 92million hectares of cultivable land available in the country, only 34 million hectares are utilized now, 780 service centres have been set up across the country for mechanized farming.

He said “the Ministry is seriously in bilateral partnership with Brazil where 300 tractors are to be bought and imported for the project this year once the loan is approved.

” The country as it is today is in a deficit of 60, 000 tractors, the reason why the Ministry is planning for procurement of 5,000 tractors every three, three years.

‘ All these plans of ours, are geared towards food security in the country the population of which will be 400million in about 40years from now.

But the committee members from Senator Uba Sani ( APC Kaduna Central ), Birma Enagi ( APC Niger South ), Adelere Oriolowo ( APC Osun West ), Francis Alimikhena ( APC Edo North), etc, told the Minister that beautiful plans are different from practical Implementation.

Specifically, Senator Oriolowo told the Minister that based on personal experience, the plans he tabled before them will not yield any positive results.

” The tractors you are planning to bring from Brazil, will in no distant time, run aground by people who are not trained for proper usage of such machines as it happened in Osun and Borno States recently.

” Capacity building is very important for people to be engaged in the Mechanised farming, which we didn’t hear from your presentation and besides, are you in touch with the real farmers who if actually involved, will make the project impactful.

” Beautiful plans like the ones you have just unfolded, are not new in this country. Please rejig the plans to be in tune with productivity needs of the real or rural farmers if you don’t want the money being sought for to go down in drains “, he said.

On the $1.5billion loan being sought for the 36 states government and the federal capital Territory, for the execution of critical infrastructure against the resurgence of COVID – 19 pandemic, the Committee Chairman, Clifford Ordia, directed the DG DMO, to furnish them with the credit-worthiness of the states, which she couldn’t provide.

Consequently, the Committee resolved that the DG, DMO, must furnish it with such information before approval can be given for the loan.

” We have listened to the presentations made by the Minister of Agriculture on the need for the approval of the 995m Euros loan and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Aliyu Ahmed, on the need for the approval of $1.5bn loans meant for the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, but the required details of planned execution requested for, must be given before the approval “, he said.

Similar to the Senate Committee on FCT and officials of FCT – IRS, with the rejection of the N8.5 billion 2021 budget proposal made based on series of discrepancies in the proposals.

The Agency was however directed to appear before the Committee headed by Senator Abubakar Kyari ( APC Borno North ), on Thursday for a repeat of the budget presentation.